India A Squad for Australia Tour Announced: Shafali Verma Returns, Radha Yadav to Lead

Shafali Verma is set to make her return to the India A squad, led by Radha Yadav, for the upcoming tour of Australia. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squads on Thursday, July 10, also revealing that Shreyanka Patil and Titas Sadhu are poised for comebacks after recovering from injuries.

Radha Yadav named captain for all formats for India A. © Getty

The India A team is scheduled to play a series of matches in Australia, including three T20s, three one-day matches, and a four-day match, spanning from August 7 to August 24, 2025.

Verma's inclusion in the squad marks her return to the ODI format after being dropped following a string of low scores. Her last ODI appearance was against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in October 2024. Despite returning to the T20I side for the ongoing series against England, she missed out on the ODI squad. This tour presents a crucial opportunity for Verma to regain her form and stake a claim for a spot in the squad for the home ODI World Cup later this year.

Patil's comeback follows a prolonged period of injury setbacks that began during the previous year's Women's Asia Cup. She participated in the subsequent T20 World Cup in the UAE but was sidelined for the Women's Premier League (WPL) earlier this year. Patil last represented India in ODIs and T20Is in June 2024 and October 2024, respectively. Her inclusion is contingent upon medical clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence, due to a fracture sustained during a national bowlers' camp in Bengaluru last month. Patil has only been named in the T20 squad.

Sadhu, a fast bowler, is also returning from an undisclosed injury that she incurred after the WPL. This injury forced her to miss India's tour to Sri Lanka for a tri-series in April and May. Minnu Mani, who captained India A during their previous tour of Australia, will serve as Radha's deputy.

Legspinner Priya Mishra, named in the one-day and four-day squads, is also awaiting fitness clearance from the BCCI CoE.

Squad Details:

• T20 Squad: Radha Yadav (C), Minnu Mani (VC), Shafali Verma, D. Vrinda, Sajana Sajeevan, Uma Chetry (WK), Raghvi Bist, Shreyanka Patil*, Prema Rawat, Nandini Kashyap (WK), Tanuja Kanwer, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu
• One-Day and Multi-Day Squad: Radha Yadav (C), Minnu Mani (VC), Shafali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Tanushree Sarkar, Uma Chetry (WK), Priya Mishra*, Tanuja Kanwer, Nandini Kashyap (WK), Dhara Gujjar, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu

*subject to fitness clearance from BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE)

The three T20 matches will be held in Mackay from August 7 to 10, followed by the one-day matches from August 13 to 17 in Brisbane. The tour will conclude with a multi-day match at the Allan Border Field in Queensland.